Back again. I have found a 2 yr. old Jotul Oslo that according the owner was really only used the first winter (06-07). Upon inspection, the sealant between the floor and sidewalls is cracked and even missing in one place. Is this unusual for such a young stove? Perhaps a sign of over-firing? What is average life of the original mfg. seal? I'm worried that this stove was over-fired resulting in the cracking of the sealant. I also noticed a white to cream speckled dust on the non-cat tubing above. I didn't touch it to see if it wipes off or is attached, but is that normal? Side and front doors were very tight - had to pull pretty hard to pull dollar bill through.

If this calls for a mere re-sealing then I'll be happy. Just thought the cracks in the sealant for such a young stove was odd. Anything else to look out for?

Back again. I have found a 2 yr. old Jotul Oslo that according the owner was really only used the first winter (06-07). Upon inspection, the sealant between the floor and sidewalls is cracked and even missing in one place. Is this unusual for such a young stove? Perhaps a sign of over-firing? What is average life of the original mfg. seal? I'm worried that this stove was over-fired resulting in the cracking of the sealant. I also noticed a white to cream speckled dust on the non-cat tubing above. I didn't touch it to see if it wipes off or is attached, but is that normal? Side and front doors were very tight - had to pull pretty hard to pull dollar bill through.

If this calls for a mere re-sealing then I'll be happy. Just thought the cracks in the sealant for such a young stove was odd. Anything else to look out for?

Best regards,
Burnout.

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hmmm...a few pics might be needed here. That will give these stove nuts something to go by. I have no idea how those Jotuls are put together. It may be fine with just mudding back up with some Rockland brand stove cement. Perhaps the stove just got dropped while being moved about. So far this deal dosent sound that good but I really don't know that much..

80's, I have an Oslo I insalled new in April of 08, and have the same type of cracks you are referring to. The sealant you can see is the stuff that was pushed out when the stove assemblies were pushed together. The sealant that matters is the stuff you can't see in between the pieces of cast iron. Try a light test, if you can't see any light coming through, you should be fine. Also, see how the stove acts when you damp it down, if it responds properly, then it is tight, if you can't control it, you may need to reseal it. At any rate, this is what my dealer explained to me, seems to make sense, and the stove works perfectly. Best of luck.

Folks - I bought the stove and am excited to get it in and up and running. I did however do the flashlight test mentioned and sure enough, some light is coming through in the back right corner. There was one big chunk of cement that came out. It was the excess that comes into the chamber but also the cement packed in between the panels .....all in one piece. Is this an easy fix? I assume I get some cement (what kind is best for this job?) and fill in the gap. Does this sound right?

Clean the area very well. Wet it until damp and then caulk the area with stove cement. Trowel it in well, use some pressure to force it into the joint and then smooth off with something like a tongue depressor. Let harden per mfg. instructions and you should be good to go.

PE Alderlea T6 - the gentle giant, Jotul 602“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.” - Mark Twain -
"A poor worker always blames his tools." - Dad

I have an oslo and redid all the stove cement in the area you describe in the FIRST year of burning. I dug out all the old stuff that was globbed in there, as it was loose, and then got me some Rutland Stove cement and sealed 'er up, it's better than factory now, nice and smooth.

That white stuff on the secondary burn tubes is likely just fly ash, I got it on mine too, looks like corrosion but wipes right off.